Obverse:
Radiate bust right with runic inscription
to front reading ÆPA.
Reverse:
+T+T+T+T around a square standard made of
pellets, TOTII within.
History:
After the demise of the Anglo-Saxon gold thrysmas
the first real coinage was the sceat, small
silver coins first mentioned in the laws of
Aethelberht, king of Kent, circa A.D. 600.
These small coins were the only unit of currency
for over a century and a half. The 'primary
series' of sceattas were produced and circulated
from around 680 to 710 AD, they were generally
of good metal quality and weight. These sceattas
were primarily restricted to Kent and the
Thames Estuary, though a few were produced
in Northumbria.
